The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-03-12
The Railroads to Benefit by the New
Law.

The Railroads to Benefit by the New
Law.
1t will not surprise those who have
for years urged upon Congress the
passage of law to regulate interstate
commerce if, six months hence, the
railroads of the country should be
found the firmest friends of the law
which was recently passed, and which
thav have till now so earnestly CD.
Keep n. AS was indicated in the spec
-. spatch OF The Suns New York
i ro;i londent on Friday, the corpor.
a IfaaAioe, ngaged in the work of {an~
ouno,.,jn already begin to perceive
arr ceiey have something to gain hy
Houcnging the bal barous lawlessness
oql.h has hitherto characterized
their relations to each other fora civ
ilized condition in which rights and
duties are rigidly defined by statute.
The cut-throat phase of railroad de-
velopment is made a thing of the
past by the interstate commerce law,
and the railroads do not wholly re-
greet it. The railroad men now in
conference at Commissioner Fink's
office, says our New York CORES.
pondent. seem to agree that under
the new rates, brought about by the
passage of the law, the companies
will be in position to make more
money than ever before. To this no
one can well object except the indi-
viduals here and there no have en-
joyed the favor of special rates at the
expense of their rivals in business.
The chief complaint Of the public has
not been that the average rates were
too high, but that they haye been
unjust, discriminating improperly
between persons and places. to the
ruin often of the persons and places
Disseminated against. High ratesaIl
around, if reasonable, are pre- cradle
to rates now high and now low, and
always out of proportion to the extent
Of theservice rendered. The executive
committee of the trunk lines have
adopted. after close study of the law,
the important principle that the rates
for east-bound and west-bound bust.
ness shall be the same. They have
decided also that the numerous elias.
sif1cations of freight at present in
force shall be reduced to six, with
rates as follows First-claSs, IS cents
per 100 pounds between New York
and Chicago second class, Go cents;
third class, so cents fourth class, 81
cents fifth class, 80 cents sixth class
% cents. An important feature of
the new classification is the rate of 25
cents per 100 pounds for grain and 80
cents per 100 pounds for provisions.a
reduction of cents for both. The
evil of reckless rate-cutting, which
Commissioner Fink has labored so
hard to correct, is at present general
in the West. The Chesapeake and
Ohio is accused of making rate of
20 cents on grain from Chicago to
Newport News, with the object, per.
haps, OF advertising its terminal ia.
cilities at the latter place. Other
lines, it is said, are also taking
freight at figures far below their
published tariffs. The new law does
not prohibit making lower rates at
any time, provided Ten days. notice
is given, but it does prohibit, under
severe penalties. any departure,
whether reduction or an advance,
from the published and posted rates.
Upon this requirement of the law.
according to our correspondent, the
representatives of the trunk lines re-
ly with some confidence for a refOr.
nation of the chief evils of rate.
cutting. Temptations to indulge in
the practice will evidently be greatly
lessened when ten days notice has
to be given of a new rate. Speculat-
ing railroad presidents and directors
will find it less easy to make quick
profits on their transactions by sud.
denly advancing or lowering freight
charges on commodities in which
they operate, If others have over
week in which to buy or sell before
the new rate goes into effect. The
railroads will doubtless IN time dis
cover other ways in which the inter-
state commerce law will protect
themselves, and thus prove, after All.
to he their very best friend. BoLto.
Sun.